This budget vegan meal plan will show you how it’s possible to eat vegan for cheap! I’ve created this meal plan for two people, whether you’re cooking for yourself and a partner, a roommate, or a family member. I bought all of the ingredients used in these meals at Aldi, but you can find everything you need at most grocery stores.
This budget vegan meal plan will last you 7 days! That’s 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners, and it even includes a snack every day. If you’re newly vegan and feeling uncertain about what to eat, or just overwhelmed at how expensive groceries have gotten, this vegan meal plan will help you out.
I bought all of the ingredients for this budget vegan meal plan from Aldi, but you can find everything at most grocery stores. I’ve included the exact prices I paid for each item, but keep in mind that Aldi’s prices change all the time. The prices are slightly different every single time I go, making it impossible to create a meal plan that will always be the exact same price. Additionally, grocery prices will vary depending on where you live.
Everyone has their own caloric and nutritional needs/preferences. This budget vegan meal plan isn’t meant to be a guide on how to eat, but an example on how one can plan a week of vegan meals for a low cost. Use this as inspiration, but at the end of the day, do what works for you.
Budget Vegan Meal Plan for 2︱$50 for 7 Days
The Meals:
Breakfast:
- Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter Toast (with or without strawberries)
Lunch:
- Pasta Salad
- Easy Vegan Potato Soup
- Rice Bowls with Roasted Chickpeas
- Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
- Burrito Bowls
- Black Bean Burgers
Dinner:
- Easy Vegan Potato Soup
- Rice Bowls with Roasted Chickpeas
- Mac and Cheese with Broccoli
- Burrito Bowls
- Baked Potatoes, Tofu, and Broccoli
- Black Bean Burgers
- Vegetable Peanut Stir Fry
Snacks:
- Peanut Butter Toast (with or without strawberries)
- Smoothies
Schedule:
Sunday:
- Breakfast: oatmeal
- Lunch: pasta salad
- Snack: peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
- Dinner: potato soup
Monday:
- Breakfast: peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
- Lunch: leftover potato soup
- Snack: smoothie
- Dinner: rice bowls with roasted chickpeas
Tuesday:
- Breakfast: oatmeal
- Lunch: leftover rice/chickpea bowls
- Snack: peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
- Dinner: burrito bowls
Wednesday:
- Breakfast: peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
- Lunch: leftover burrito bowls
- Snack: smoothie
- Dinner: mac and cheese with broccoli
Thursday:
- Breakfast: oatmeal
- Lunch: leftover mac and cheese
- Snack: peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
- Dinner: baked potatoes, tofu, and broccoli
Friday:
- Breakfast: peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
- Lunch: leftover pasta salad
- Snack: smoothie
- Dinner: black bean burgers
Saturday:
- Breakfast: oatmeal
- Lunch: leftover black bean burgers
- Snack: peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
- Dinner: vegetable peanut stir fry
The Grocery List:
The only items that I didn’t calculate into the overall price are salt, pepper, seasonings, and oil. This is because I always keep spices, seasonings, and oils on hand and only have to buy them every few weeks or months. For some of the meals, I used salt/pepper, onion powder, cumin, and olive oil, but you can use whatever you already have on hand. Everything else used in the meals is included in the overall price.
Produce:
- 7 Bananas ($1.21)
- 1 lb Strawberries ($1.49)
- 2 8 oz bags of Spinach ($2.98)
- Tomatoes on the Vine ($2.19)
- 5 Avocados (4.95)
- 1 bag of Yellow Potatoes ($5.29)
- 1 12 oz bag of Kale ($3.39)
Vegan Dairy/Deli:
- Shredded Vegan Cheddar Cheese ($3.59)
- 1 block of Tofu ($1.75)
Bread:
- 1 loaf of White Bread ($.99)
Pantry:
- 18 oz jar of Peanut butter ($1.69)
- 42 oz container of Oats ($3.29)
- 1 3 lb bag of Rice ($2.19
- 2 cans of Black Beans ($1.42)
- 4 cans of Chickpeas ($3.04)
- 15 fl oz bottle of Soy Sauce ($1.55)
- 24 oz bag of Elbow Pasta – ($1.39)
- 32 fl oz bottle of Lemon Juice – ($2.39)
- 32 oz carton of Vegetable Broth – ($1.79)
Frozen:
- 1 12 oz bag of Frozen Broccoli ($.95)
- 1 12 oz bag of Frozen Mixed Vegetables) – ($.84)
Total Cost: $48.37
Day 1: Sunday
Day 1 Prep:
- Wash and slice the strawberries. Store half them in an airtight container in the fridge, and the other half in the freezer. For the ones being frozen, be careful not to overlap them in the container to avoid them clumping together.
- Peel and cut up 3 bananas. Place them in an airtight container (don’t overlap them to avoid them clumping together) and put in the freezer to use for smoothies throughout the week.
- Cook 3 1/2 cups of rice according to package instructions. This will yield roughly 10 cups of cooked rice. Store in an airtight container in the fridge to use in various meals throughout the week.
- Make the oat milk to use in various recipes throughout the week. To a blender, add 2 cups of oats and 8 cups of water and blend for about 30 seconds (you may have to do this in more than one batch depending on the size of your blender). Strain into a container using a nut milk bag, cheese cloth, or fine mesh strainer. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week.
Day 1 Breakfast: Oatmeal
Yields 2 Servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup oats
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 banana
- a few strawberry slices to go on top.
- Combine the oats and water in a microwave safe bowl. Give it a stir and microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until cooked to your desired tenderness.
- Mash up one banana on a plate. Remove the cooked oatmeal from the microwave and separate into two bowls.
- Add half the mashed banana to each bowl.
- Top with strawberry slices.
Day 1 Lunch: Pasta Salad
Make the pasta salad on day one (this will be lunch on two days, including today).
Ingredients:
- 12 oz elbow macaroni pasta
- 1 tomato (diced)
- 1/2 bag of spinach (chopped)
- 1 cup kale (chopped)
- 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil)
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Cook the elbow pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse in cold water.
- While the pasta is cooking, dice up the tomato, drain and rinse the chickpeas, and chop up the kale/spinach.
- Add the pasta and chickpeas, tomato, and greens to a bowl.
- To the bowl, add 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Serve half for lunch on day 1 and store the other half in an airtight container in the fridge for lunch on day 4.
Day 1 Snack: Peanut Butter Toast (with or without strawberries)
Everyone loves peanut butter banana toast, but I think that strawberries and peanut butter are the most underrated combo. Enjoy this toast with or without the strawberries – I also like adding a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
Yields two portions.
Ingredients:
- 2 pieces of toast
- 3-4 tbsp peanut butter
- Optional: a few strawberry slices to go on top
- Toast the bread and spread some peanut butter on, about 3-4 tbsp between the two pieces. Optional: top with sliced strawberries.
Day 1 Dinner: Easy vegan potato soup
For day 1 dinner we’ll be making a simplified version of my easy vegan potato soup. This recipe does call for nutritional yeast, which is not included in this meal plan, so this can be left out. The recipe also calls for diced onion, which can be omitted as well. You can replace the diced onion with an extra teaspoon or two of onion powder.
The recipe yields about 6 servings, so you may end up having leftovers by the end of the week. Or, you can just have extra large portions!
Click here for the recipe! Note: The original recipe calls for diced onion and nutritional yeast, items that aren’t included in this meal plan. You can make the soup without these two ingredients.
Serve the soup with salad and/or bread. You can make an easy salad dressing by combining two parts oil, one parts lemon juice, and salt/pepper to taste.
Day 2: Monday
Day 2 Breakfast: Peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
Day 2 Lunch: Leftover potato soup from dinner on day 1
Day 2 Snack: Smoothie
You’ll use the frozen fruit you prepped on day 1 for this smoothie.
Yields 2 servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 frozen banana
- ½ cup frozen strawberry slices
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2/3 cup oat milk
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, for about 20-30 seconds. Separate into two cups and enjoy!
Day 2 Dinner: Rice bowls with roasted chickpeas
Yields 4 servings of chickpeas and dressing (you’ll take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow using additional rice, greens, and avocado). Store the dressing in an airtight container and use half of it for tomorrow’s lunch.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked rice you prepped on day 1
- 1 1/2 cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tomato diced
- 1/4 bag of spinach
- 1 cup kale
- 1 avocado (diced)
- For the dressing:
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp pepper
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Spread the chickpeas onto a baking sheet and add 1 tsp of onion powder and 1 tsp of cumin. Mix the chickpeas around to distribute the seasonings. You can also add a little olive oil if you like.
- Once the oven preheats, bake the chickpeas for 15 minutes.
- While the chickpeas are baking, make the dressing. In a small bowl, tupperware container, or bottle, combine 4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 tsp pepper. Stir to combine.
- Distribute the spinach/kale, and 2 cups of cooked rice evenly between two bowls. Distribute half of the baked chickpeas and dressing between each bowl (saving the other half for tomorrow’s lunch). Top with diced avocado and tomato. I also added some sriracha to my bowl, because sriracha makes everything better.
Day 3: Tuesday
Day 3 Breakfast: Oatmeal
Day 3 Lunch: leftover rice/roasted chickpea bowls from dinner on day 2. Add in additional rice, spinach/kale and avocado.
Day 3 Snack: Peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
Day 3 Dinner: Burrito Bowls
Yields 4 servings of black bean filling (you’ll take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow using additional cooked rice and avocado)
Ingredients:
- 1 can black beans
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tomato
- ¼ bag of spinach
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup shredded vegan cheese (half will be used for the leftovers for lunch)
- For the guacamole:
- 1 avocado
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Drain and rinse the black beans and add them to a skillet on medium heat. Add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp onion powder, the diced tomato, spinach, and kale. Cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently, until the greens have wilted.
- For the guacamole, combine 1/2 avocado, 2 tsp of lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp onion powder to a small bowl. Mash up the avocado and mix with the lemon juice and seasonings. Since guacamole doesn’t keep well, for lunch tomorrow you can either make another batch using the other half of avocado, or just top the bowl with diced avocado.
- Distribute 1/2 of the black bean mixture and guacamole between two bowls. Add 1 cup of cooked rice to each bowl and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. You’ll use the rest of the cheese in the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Day 4: Wednesday
Day 4 Breakfast: Peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
Day 4 Lunch: Leftover burrito bowls from day 3 dinner (using additional cooked rice, avocado, and cheese)
Day 4 Snack: Smoothie
Day 4 Dinner: Mac and cheese with broccoli
Yields 4 servings (you’ll take the leftovers for lunch on day 5)
Ingredients:
- 12 oz Elbow macaroni pasta
- 1 cup vegan shredded cheese
- 1 1/2 cups oat milk
- ½ bag frozen broccoli
- Salt and pepper to taste
Day 5, Thursday:
Day 5 Breakfast: Oatmeal
Day 5 Lunch: Leftover mac and cheese
Day 5 Snack: Peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
Day 5 Dinner: Baked potatoes, tofu, and broccoli
Ingredients:
- 12 oz potatoes washed and diced (about half the bag)
- 1 block of tofu
- ½ bag of broccoli
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash and cut the potatoes into medium sized chunks. I didn’t peel the potatoes but you can if you like. If you buy russet potatoes you’ll want to peel them. I’m using yellow potatoes.
- Drain and press the tofu. I just pressed it in some paper towel for a few minutes to get the excess water out.
- For this meal I used two (size) nonstick sheet pans, but you might be able to fit everything on one if you have a larger one. I put the potatoes on one pan and the tofu/broccoli on the other.
- Optional: lightly oil the tofu, potato, and broccoli. If you aren’t using any oil I recommend using a nonstick pan or parchment paper.
- Sprinkle 1 tsp each of onion powder and cumin on the tofu, as well as ½ tsp each of salt and pepper. Mix the tofu around a bit to disperse the seasoning.
- Sprinkle ½ tsp each of salt and pepper to the potatoes and mix it around to disperse.
- You can add oil and seasoning to the broccoli as well; I left mine plain.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure even cooking.
Day 6, Friday:
Day 6 Breakfast: Peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
Day 6 Lunch: Leftover pasta salad
Day 6 Snack: Smoothie
Day 6 Dinner: Black Bean Burgers
Recipe yields 4 burgers.
Ingredients:
- 1 can black beans
- ½ cup oats
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Toppings: tomato, avocado, greens
- Drain and rinse the black beans.
- To a food processor, add the black beans, oats, cumin, salt, and pepper. Blend until fully combined, for about 30 seconds. Stop to scrape the sides as needed. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 tbsp of water at a time until it comes together.
- If you don’t have a food processor you can mash up the mixture with a fork or potato masher. If you do this I recommend blending the oats before adding then in with the other ingredients.
- Heat an oiled or nonstick pan on medium heat. Scoop out the black bean mixture (I like to use a ⅓ cup measurer to get the perfect size) and form into patties. Place them on the heated pan. This mixture will make about 4 patties.
- Cook for about 5 minutes on each side.
Serve the burgers on bread, buns, or over greens. Top with avocado, tomato, or any other toppings you have on hand.
Day 7, Saturday:
Day 7 Breakfast: Oatmeal
Day 7 Lunch: Leftover black bean burgers
Day 7 Snack: Peanut butter toast (with or without strawberries)
Day 7 Dinner: Vegetable peanut stir fry
Yields 2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice
- Optional: 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 bag frozen vegetables
- Any greens leftover from the week
- Sauce:
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp vegetable broth
- 4 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Add 1 tbsp of oil to a pan and turn to medium heat. If not using oil, add a little bit of vegetable broth or water.
- Add the frozen vegetables and chickpeas to the pan.
- Cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the vegetables and chickpeas are cooking, make the sauce. To a bowl, combine the vegetable broth, soy sauce, peanut butter, onion powder, and salt. Mix and set aside.
- Once the veggies are cooked, throw in a handful or two of greens, whatever you have left by the end of the week. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the greens have wilted.
- Pour the sauce over the veggies and stir. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring to avoid sticking.
- Remove the veggies from the heat and serve over rice.
Lyn says
Wow, this is very well-thought out! As you said, even if one doesn’t follow it to the letter it is good inspiration for similar meal prep and creative, budget-friendly meal planning. Eating healthy, satisfying meals doesn’t have to be as hard as we sometimes make it and this is a great example of that!